US Federal Reserve chief Ben Bernanke has warned of the threat posed to world economic growth by protectionism. Speaking at an economic conference, Mr Bernanke said "economic growth should not be taken for granted". Mr Bernanke said that protectionism - while the "natural reaction" to globalisation - was not desirable. The speech comes after recent figures on US housing and durable goods indicated that the world's largest economy could be slowing down. Policy-makers face the hurdle of ensuring that the benefits of global economic integration are widely shared, the Fed chairman said. Mr Bernanke also highlighted geopolitical risks, including international terrorism. "The risk of terrorism already constrains the pace worldwide of economic integration and may do so even more in the future," he warned... http://news.bbc.co.uk

Financially struggling Northwest Airlines recently made a blunder that could easily be viewed as a sequel to "Snakes on a Plane." The Eagan, Minn.-based company, which is in the midst of bankruptcy reorganization, did something that was as biting to some of its employees as the plane full of poisonous snakes in the recently released movie. To help prepare employees for possible job losses or transitions, Northwest sent out a 165-page handbook titled "Ground Operations Restructuring Q&A and Employee Support." The guide included information on several topics including pension and retirement benefits, relocation and resume assistance, said Roman Blahoski, media relations manager for Northwest. What happened next should forever be included in a management case study in every MBA program in the country. ...http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/money/282680_singletary26.html

Iraq's most prominent archaeologist has fled the country and is reported to have said poor security and political pressures forced him out. Donny George, a Christian, is well known internationally for his efforts to recover Iraq's looted antiquities. He has said pressure to follow a radical Islamic agenda in the preservation of Iraqi antiquities made his position impossible. But an Iraqi minister has challenged Mr George's reasons for leaving. His account of fleeing Iraq comes in a publication called the Art Newspaper. He is reported to have told the paper that he is now in Syria with his family. Mr George is also said to have told the paper the Iraqi state board of antiquities and heritage, which he presided over, had come under the increasing influence of supporters of radical Shia cleric Moqtada al Sadr, and he had been trying to counter a growing Islamist and anti-Western agenda. ...http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/5289046.stm

At least seven Taleban are reported killed in a clash between militants and Nato-led troops and police in the southern Afghan region of Helmand. Nato forces used artillery against an insurgent convoy, killing at least seven fighters, a military spokesman told the Associated Press. The convoy had been spotted by British troops near Musa Qala. Meanwhile, two French soldiers were killed and two hurt in a roadside bomb explosion in eastern Laghman province. Bomb ambush Nato spokesman Major Luke Knittig said the Taleban in Helmand had been travelling in a 12-vehicle convoy. He said eight of the vehicles had been destroyed or disabled. The AFP news agency reported the convoy had been bombed as well as hit with artillery. The French soldiers were killed on Friday in an ambush while they were carrying out a patrol in eastern Laghman province, southeast of the region's capital Mihtarlam, reports said. ...http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/5288544.stm

President Hamid Karzai on Friday ordered an investigation into the killings of eight people in a raid that U.S. forces said had targeted al-Qaida members but police said were civilians - the second time in a week his government has questioned the military's tactics.The inquiry into Thursday's deaths in eastern Kunar province was Karzai's latest show of displeasure in the coalition forces that he depends on to protect his weak government from resurgent Taliban and al-Qaida militants.A statement released by Karzai's office said he had ordered a "thorough investigation" into the killings, including the death of a 10-year-old child. Kunar's governor and local lawmakers have gone on a fact-finding trip to the area....http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/1104AP_Afghan_US_Probe.html

Bush reinforced his promise to help rebuild roads, schools, homes and business along the U.S. Gulf Coast, which isn't yet healed from the ravages by Hurricane Katrina almost a year ago. Thousands of people are still homeless or living in government trailers, debris remains piled high in some neighborhoods and services ranging from medical care to education aren't yet at pre-Katrina levels. ``Last year I made a simple pledge: The federal government would learn the lessons of Katrina, we would do what it takes, and we would stay as long as it takes,'' Bush said today in his weekly radio address. ``We will stay until the job is done.'' Sensitive to Democratic charges of incompetence and mismanagement in advance of November's congressional midterm elections, Republican Bush, who is at the Bush family's summer compound in Kennebunkport, Maine, plans a two-day visit to the region beginning Aug. 28, to offer hope and reaffirm federal help for the long haul. ...http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=aeRXrE47KcYY&refer=worldwide_news